New Defender's Study Bible Notes

6:1 surety for thy friend. Here is a strong Biblical warning against agreeing to be responsible for another person’s debts. If such a person really needs and deserves help, it is better (even for that person) to give him the money needed, or to lend it (without interest) than to encourage greed and irresponsibility on his part by assuming his debts.

6:6 the ant. Note Job 12:7-10. Whatever may have been God’s overall purpose in creating all the different animals, many of them—perhaps all, if we can learn enough about them— can be used to illustrate important spiritual truths, as in the industrious example of the ant.

6:16seven are an abomination. The seven sins that are an “abomination” to God (the word is probably the strongest in the Hebrew language to express disgust and hatred) are all sins of the mind and tongue, with the exception of murder.